The Worshipful Company of Tax Advisers

After the uncertainties and limitations resulting from the pandemic, we began 2022 with high hopes that life in the City of London and amongst the Livery Companies and Guilds could resume – and, in many respects, it has. Through our work and events, we continue to foster fellowship amongst our members. We collaborate with a wide range of organisations to deliver on common goals and support a number of organisations with which we are affiliated. We have also been able to re-establish our work with the charities and youth organisations that we support. At the same time we recognise that, in many respects, life and patterns of work have changed forever and will continue to do so.

Accordingly, 2022/2023 was a year to review the way in which our Livery Company operates. In particular, we reviewed the services that we supply to our members to identify ways in which we could strengthen the company to meet the needs of today’s tax professionals and the charities we support and to strengthen our contribution to the development of London as a commercial centre. Our strategic objectives are to:

• sustain WCoTA so that it remains relevant and viable today and in the future;
• deliver events and activities that satisfy the wishes of as many members as possible, particularly those who are still working and with a focus on those who are building their careers;
• collaborate with selected other organisations to engage with members of the tax profession and the wider City; and
• support others to meet our charitable aims.

We see increased collaboration with other companies, especially those who are members of the Financial Services Group of Livery Companies (International Bankers, Insurers, Actuaries, Chartered Accountants, etc.) as an important aspect of our strategy that will benefit each company, their members, the wider professional community and the Lord Mayor.

We also value a close a working relationship with the Chartered Institute of Taxation and the Association of Tax Technicians, as we can leverage off each other to contribute towards the exciting range of activities that the Lord Mayor Elect, Alderman Michael Mainelli, plans for his year to bring together the Livery Companies and other City-based institutions to strengthen and promote London as an international business centre. Events currently planned include:

• a Gresham Society Lecture on ‘Land value tax’;
• Coffee Colloquies: reducing inequalities in the tax system; and
• organising a debate with the Worshipful Company of IT professionals and HMRC on the potential for the digitisation of tax.

Membership remains the key to our success and we would encourage anyone who is working or who has worked in the tax arena to apply to join us. The benefits are innumerable and include fellowship, leading edge tax thinking, being custodians of historic tax information and being actively involved in collaborations to make London a better place in which to live, work and play.

More information and the application process can be found on our website: www.taxadvisers.org.uk

Mike Gibbons, Master,
Worshipful Company of Tax Advisers